Knaff Comes Up Just Short of Qualifying for the All-American Main Draw

TULSA, Okla. – Florida State men’s tennis junior Alex Knaff battled his way through the qualifying draw at the ITA All-American Championship but came just short of earning himself a position in the main draw.

In the first round, Knaff took down Bjorn Thomson of Texas Tech in straight sets. Knaff was down 4-1 in the first before storming back to take it 7-5. In the second set, he battled back and forth before taking a 4-3 lead and expanding that to a 5-3 lead. He took down Thomson 6-4 in the second set to move on to the second round.

In the second round, Knaff battled in a three-set match with Razvan Grigorescu of Nebraska-Omaha. Knaff lost the first set 7-5 after jumping out to a 3-1 lead. He then fell behind 3-0 in the second set before turning the match around and taking the second set 6-4 and then the third 6-3 to advance to the final round of qualifying.

Knaff battled in the first set against Jake DeVine of USC with a chance at the main draw on the line. He took the first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 and jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second. DeVine forced a tiebreaker for the second straight set this time taking down Alex and forcing a third set. In the third set, Knaff came up short losing 6-2.

Redshirt senior Lucas Poullain will begin play in the main draw on October 4th.

To keep up with the Seminoles, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, or keep up with the team on social media through Twitter (@FSU_MTennis), Facebook (/FSUMTennis), and Instagram (@FSU_MTennis).